We probably need a psychiatrist to decipher Keir Bradwell‘s comment on Connor Wickham. Otherwise his marks go pretty much as you’d expect, with plaudits all round and special mention for an “all right goal”. Newcastle’s star man? Monsieur Salut! is tempted to say Tim Krul for his spontaneous act of sportsmanship, patting Defoe on the back in the tunnel at half time for a super strike, and managing to annoy Jamie ‘you can’t do that in any game, especially a derby’ Carragher in the process. Let’s more Spirit of Krul, less Snarl of Carragher ….
Pantilimon – 7
Only had to make one save all game (ha), but was super good collecting deliveries from corners.
Jones – 8
Unsung hero. Not one to shirk away from a potentially very painful tackle. Dedicated.
Vergini – 8
A clean sheet against Newcastle – not much more you can ask for, really.
O’Shea – 7
Very much like Vergini, but a bit less involved, generally.
van Aanholt – 7
Proved a solid option going forward and was much less wasteful than usual, which was a relief. Also had a moment of needed genius, stepping into Newcastle’s half to prevent them kicking off while everyone else was piled on top of each other.
Larsson – 8
Heroic. And now also banned for the next two games.
Cattermole – 8
Absolutely vital to the team. Kept everything tight in midfield and helped us control the game hugely.
Gomez – 8
Never doubted him. A genuinely fantastic performance, and not even just by Gomez standards.
Fletcher – 8
Still does his little flicks, and wasn’t as effective as Defoe (!) in the tackle, but got the assist and did some fancy skills by the corner flag so still gets an 8.
Defoe – 9
Scored an all right goal
Wickham – 7
Pretty useless, but still good.
